A pivotal role
Amid the powerful wave of technological change, the establishment and development of concentrated digital technology zones has become a strategic direction. These zones are not only hubs of high-tech infrastructure but also comprehensive ecosystems that foster innovation and create new drivers of socio-economic growth.
According to Nguyen Khac Lich, Director of the Department of Information Technology Industry, in November 2013, the government issued a decree on concentrated information technology parks, laying the foundation for today’s system of concentrated digital technology zones.
To date, eight zones have been established in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Can Tho, with Quang Trung Software City (QTSC) regarded as the most effective model.
Statistics show that the total land area of these concentrated digital technology zones has increased by tenfold since 2013, reaching nearly 2.6 million square metres, attracting over 630 digital-technology enterprises employing 42,450 highly skilled workers, double the 2013 figure.
Notably, land-use efficiency reaches roughly 10 million USD per hectare per year, far exceeding that of other functional zones, while labour productivity and income levels also exceed those in other industrial parks.
Regarding the development strategy of QTSC, the flagship model attracting global technology corporations, Phan Phuong Tung, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Support and Consulting Centre, said: “Towards the model of a green, smart urban digital technology zone, Quang Trung Software City focuses on building a comprehensive ecosystem and developing breakthrough technological pillars such as digital infrastructure, cloud computing, big data, cybersecurity, digital human resources, innovation and start-ups.”
This new direction aligns with Ho Chi Minh City’s policy to expand and form multiple concentrated digital technology zones across the city, thereby promoting digital transformation and the development of the city’s digital economy.
QTSC currently hosts more than 120 IT enterprises (46 foreign and 75 domestic). Its IT revenues in 2024 reached more than 14.2 trillion VND, up 5.7% compared with 2023, and it has been recognised as the most successful IT development model in Viet Nam.
An inevitable path
According to experts, concentrated digital technology zones serve as functional areas that provide dedicated spaces for innovation, equipped with next-generation digital infrastructure where digital technology enterprises can grow more rapidly, innovate more, and contribute more significantly to national growth.
Such zones form the foundational infrastructure of the digital technology industry, a fertile ground for businesses and a place where Viet Nam’s aspiration to become a technologically advanced nation can be realised.
Tung added that QTSC plays a pivotal role in the development strategies of both Ho Chi Minh City and Viet Nam. It provides platforms for testing advanced digital-urban solutions, pioneers green technologies and artificial intelligence in the region, attracts foreign investment into cutting-edge technology sectors and drives Ho Chi Minh City towards becoming a global centre of innovation and finance.
The world is undergoing a profound transformation from information technology to digital technology, from application to innovation, and from standalone software to convergent ecosystems of artificial intelligence (AI), data, semiconductors and other breakthrough technologies.
In this context, the Politburo’s Resolution 57 issued in December 2024 on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation identifies the development of concentrated digital technology zones as a key measure for accelerating science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation.
The Digital Technology Industry Law, which will come into effect from January 2026, is expected to open a new chapter for concentrated digital technology zones by introducing special incentive mechanisms, more flexible institutional frameworks, sandbox environments for testing, and shared digital infrastructure such as cloud services, data centres, chip-testing laboratories and supercomputers for AI training. This is more than policy, it is a powerful message: Viet Nam is ready to move swiftly and take the lead in the digital technology era.
According to Lich, developing concentrated digital technology zones is not about expanding industrial real estate but about building ecosystems where all enterprises, from start-ups to global corporations, can innovate, test, develop and reach global markets.
In these zones, enterprises have access to optimised digital infrastructure, enjoy specialised incentive mechanisms, test technologies within sandboxes, and work in a continuously innovative environment.
Businesses operating in concentrated digital technology zones are, in essence, walking alongside Viet Nam on its journey to build next-generation digital-technology industrial infrastructure, the foundation for the country to achieve major breakthroughs over the next 30 years.
Lich expressed his hope that, in the near future, more concentrated digital technology zones will be established across the country, more major investment projects will be launched, and more ideas and partnerships will be cultivated.
Most importantly, confidence will grow that Viet Nam can indeed become a leading destination for the global digital technology industry.
